Emporia State students draw attention to poverty housing

March 30, 2012

Emporia State students who spent their spring break working with Habitat for Humanity in Alabama was to share their experiences the campus community.

During Act! Speak! Build! Week, a national event April 1 through 7, the ESU students will educate the campus about poverty housing, share their experiences during Alternative Spring Break and invite Jim Stephen, director of Emporia’s Habitat for Humanity chapter, to speak about the group.

On Monday, the students plan a display on Union Square west of the Memorial Union. The display will provide a visual representation of families who live in poverty housing, which is defined as homes that are infested with insects and rodents, have poor heating and cooling systems and are poorly ventilated.

On Wednesday, April 4, the students will be on the Memorial Union Main Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. sharing information about their trip to Alabama.

Then, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 5, Jim Stephen, director of Emporia’s Habitat for Humanity, will speak in Webb Hall.

The first 40 people who pledge to make a difference with Habitat will receive a T-shirt.

Emporia State University is a dynamic and progressive student-centered learning community that fosters student success through engagement in academic excellence, community and global involvement, and the pursuit of personal and professional fulfillment.